51994PC0070(03)

Proposal for a Council Decision adopting a specific research and technological development programme to be implemented by the Joint Research Centre for the European Atomic Energy Community (1995 to 1998) (94/C 113/07) (Text with EEA relevance) COM(94) 70 final - 94/0074(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 30 March 1994)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 7 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission submitted after consulting the Scientific and Technical Committee,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee,

Whereas, by its Decision . . ./. . ./Euratom, the Council adopted a framework programme of Community activities in the field of research and training (1994 to 1998) including all activities relating to research, technological development, including demonstration projects, international cooperation, the dissemination and exploitation of research results and training in the fields of nuclear fission safety and controlled thermonuclear fusion; whereas this Decision is taken in the light of the grounds set out in the preamble to that Decision;

Whereas Article 2 of Decision . . ./. . ./Euratom provides that the framework programme should be implemented by means of specific programmes adopted in accordance with Article 7 of the Treaty;

Whereas it is necessary to estimate the funds required for the implementation of this programme on the basis of Article 1 (3) of Decision . . ./. . ./Euratom;

Whereas Decision . . ./. . ./Euratom provides that the maximum overall amount for the framework programme is to be reviewed no later than 30 June 1996 with a view to its being increased; whereas, as a result of that review, the amount deemed necessary for implementation of the programme might increase;

Whereas the content of the framework programme has been defined in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity; whereas this specific programme lays down the content of the activities to be carried out in accordance with that principle;

Whereas the JRC is called upon to contribute to the implementation of the framework programme through activities for which it has special, if not unique, capabilities and installations and by providing the scientific and technical support needed for the formulation and implementation of Community policies and the tasks assigned to the Commission under the Treaty requiring the impartial, independent assistance of the Centre; whereas that contribution should be an integral part of a long-term strategy which will lead to the JRC playing a significant role in the field of European scientific cooperation;

Whereas the direct action carried out by the JRC includes institutional research and scientific and technical support activities;

Whereas, as part of the direct action, the research activities must be carried out in such a way as to ensure their complementarity with the corresponding indirect action;

Whereas, as part of the direct action, the scientific and technical activities to support the Community policies should remain consistent with policy requirements for the duration of the implementation of this programme;

Whereas the JRC may also take part in the indirect action carried out under other specific programmes in the same way as third parties situated in a Member State;

Whereas the JRC may also take part, on a competitive basis, in any other activity implemented by the Community and carry out research on behalf of third parties;

Whereas exploratory research should be encouraged;

Whereas the JRC may contribute to the alignment of national, Community and European research and technological development activities; whereas, closely involved in the formulation and implementation of Community policies, it may, in the scientific and technical sectors in which it has expertise, play a leading role, be a focal point for networks involving public and private laboratories in the Member States and serve as a centre of gravity for European research consortia in specific fields;

Whereas it is desirable, under this programme, to have an evaluation carried out of the economic and social impact and of any technological risks;

Whereas there should be continual and systematic monitoring of progress on the implementation of this programme with a view to adapting it, if necessary, to scientific and technological developments;

Whereas it is necessary to continue widening the scientific and technological basis of European industry in order to foster its international competitiveness; whereas it is therefore necessary to promote the prenormative research activities considered to be necessary under other Community policies;

Whereas it is necessary to strengthen the economic and social cohesion of the Community, and to promote its harmonious overall development, while complying with the objective of scientific and technical excellence; whereas the activities of the JRC should help to achieve these objectives;

Whereas particular attention should be paid to the safety of the nuclear fuel cycle and its impact on the environment;

Whereas it is necessary for the JRC to be better involved in networks and consortia with partners in all of the Member States, in both its institutional and its competitive activities; whereas the JRC should, in particular, play a leading role to improve links between research laboratories and institutions in all regions of the Community;

Whereas, in the field of safeguards, the JRC should contribute to the development of the new technologies needed to ensure, in this area, compliance with the obligations arising from the Treaty;

Whereas the Commission, on the basis in particular of the expertise of the JRC in the field of safeguards, should support the competent authorities of the new independent States in order to set up a coherent, reliable system of safeguards throughout their territories, in particular in order to eliminate any potential source of unlawful trade in nuclear materials;

Whereas, more generally, the Commission should, by making use of the capabilities of the JRC, continue to contribute to the setting up of a coherent, reliable international system of safeguards through its cooperation with the competent international organizations, in particular the IAEA, and with any third countries which also wish to take part in such a system;

Whereas the work and experience of the JRC should be usefully exploited by the Commission in its activities to help the central and eastern European countries and the new independent States in the field of nuclear safety and safeguards;

Whereas, in the implementation of this programme, international cooperation activities may, in accordance with Article 101 (2) of the Treaty, also prove to be useful with other third countries and international organizations;

Whereas, with this in mind, the JRC should establish preferential links with public and private bodies and undertakings established in third countries, in particular European third countries;

Whereas the JRC may contribute to the dissemination and exploitation of the results of its activities;

Whereas there should be an independent evaluation of progress with the institutional research activities in order to provide all of the background information required for determination of the objectives of the next framework programme; whereas, lastly, it is necessary, under that programme, to carry out a final evaluation of the results obtained in the light of the objectives set out in this Decision;

Whereas the Board of Governors of the JRC plays an important part in the operation of the Centre and in the implementation of its activities,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

A specific programme concerning the research and technological development activities to be conducted by the Joint Research Centre is hereby adopted for the period 1 January 1995 to 31 December 1998.

Article 2

The Commission, assisted by the Board of Governors of the JRC (hereinafter referred to as the 'Board of Governors`), shall be responsible for the implementation of this programme and, to this end, shall call upon the services of the JRC.

Article 3

1. The activities referred to in Article 1 above shall include the institutional research activities and the institutional scientific and technical support activities.

2. The institutional research activities as defined in Annex I A are those for which the JRC has special, if not unique, capabilities and which contribute to the RTD policy of the Union. They shall be implemented in such a way as to ensure their complementarity with the corresponding indirect activities contained in the other programmes under the framework programme.

3. The institutional scientific and technical support activities as defined in Annex I B are the activities needed for the formulation and implementation of other Community policies and the tasks assigned to the Commission under the Treaty requiring the impartial and independent assistance of the JRC.

Article 4

1. The JRC shall participate in the implementation of activities concerning research, technological development, international cooperation, the dissemination and utilization of knowledge gained through research, training in the fields of nuclear safeguards and safety and controlled thermonuclear fusion by implementing the direct action and by means of its exploratory research activities.

2. It shall also contribute to the implementation of the Community research, technological development and demonstration activity by means of its participation in the indirect action implemented under the other specific programmes by cooperating with one or more partners situated in a Member State.

3. Lastly, the JRC shall participate in the implementation of Community research, technological development and demonstration activity through its involvement in networks or consortia with partners in all of the Member States. It shall in particular make every effort to improve links between research laboratories and institutions in all regions of the Community.

Article 5

1. The amount deemed necessary for carrying out the activities of the JRC is ECU 300 million.

2. An indicative breakdown of this amount is given in Annex II.

3. The amount deemed necessary, as indicated above, for carrying out the programme may increase as a consequence of and in conformity with the Decision referred to in Article 1 (3) of Decision . . ./. . ./Euratom.

4. The budgetary authority shall determine the appropriations available for each financial year in accordance with the scientific and technological priorities set in the framework programme.

Article 6

The detailed rules for the implementation of this programme are set out in Annex III.

Article 7

1. The Commission, assisted by the Board of Governors, shall continuously and systematically monitor progress with this programme in relation to the objectives set out in Annex I. It shall in particular assess whether the objectives, priorities and financial resources are still appropriate to the changing situations. It shall, if appropriate, submit proposals to adapt or supplement these programmes depending on the results of the monitoring process and, with regard to the activities for the scientific and technical support of Community policies, shall take the necessary action to ensure that these are consistent with the requirements of these policies.

2. The Commission shall each year before 15 April submit to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee a report on the implementation of this Decision. This report shall be accompanied by the observations of the Board of Governors. The latter may also, through the Commission, submit to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee a separate report on any aspect of the implementation of this Decision.

3. In order to contribute to the overall evaluation of the Community activities provided for in Article 4.2 of the Decision adopting the framework programme, the Commission, after consulting the Board of Governors, shall instruct independent experts to carry out an evaluation of the research activities and their management covered by this programme.

4. At the end of this programme, the Commission, after consulting the Board of Governors, shall instruct independent experts to conduct a final evaluation of the results achieved compared with the objectives set out in Annex III to the framework programme and Annex I to this Decision. The final evaluation report shall be forwarded to the Council, the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee.

Article 8

The Commission shall ensure, in cooperation with the Board of Governors, that there is systematic consultation with the programme committees concerned in order to ensure close coordination between the indirect action, the corresponding national activities and the institutional research activities of the JRC in the same fields and to guarantee a coherent approach.

Article 9

1. The Commission is authorized, in accordance with Article 101 (2) of the Treaty, to negotiate international agreements, in particular with European third countries and with international organizations situated in Europe, with a view to associating them with JRC activities.

2. The Commission, assisted by the Board of Governors, may, on the basis of the criterion of mutual benefit, request the JRC to execute projects with bodies and undertakings established in third countries, in particular European third countries, in the context of the specific programmes carried out by the JRC.

Article 10

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

ANNEX I

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES AND CONTENTS

This specific programme fully reflects the broad lines of the fourth framework programme, applies the selection criteria and spells out the scientific and technical objectives set out in that programme.

Annex III of the framework programme constitutes the basis of the objectives of this programme.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) will conduct strategic and applied research. It will be carried out as an integral part of the European science and technology system and should also contribute to the scientific foundation of the various Community policies. It will be based on:

- scientific and technical excellence,

- impartiality and independence,

- unique research facilities,

- openness to all Member States.

In line with the priorities defined in the White Paper 'Growth, competitivity, employment` the scientific and technical activities carried out by the JRC should meet the needs of the Community as a whole, its institutions and Member States with the objectives of:

- helping to strengthen the scientific and technological basis of European industry and to encourage the development of its international competitiveness,

- providing the independent scientific expertise necessary for the implementation of Community policies and the tasks which the Treaty assigns to the Commission,

- providing scientific and technical services to Community institutions and making JRC capabilities and scientific and technical installations available to public and private bodies,

- contributing to the improvement of public safety aspects of new technologies,

- contributing to the improvement of environmental impact assessment and protection,

- contributing to the reduction of scientific and technological disparities between Member States.

The European dimension of its work must remain one of the fundamental strengths of the JRC. Its activity should be characterized by a multidisciplinary approach based on the broad span of its capabilities. This multidisciplinarity will be reflected in the subjects developed by its institutes, thus ensuring its ability to meet new challenges as they arise.

Thanks to its capabilities and its involvement in the formulation and implementation of Community policies, the JRC will contribute to the integration of national, Community and European activities. Thus it will participate in networks of public and private laboratories in the Member States or European research consortia, and may be the focal point of such networks in its areas of expertise.

This large exposure should not, however, lead to an excessive dispersion of the activities undertaken. Without ignoring the expectations of its customers, the Centre and its management must have clear views on the proper scientific and technical policy for the JRC and be able to maintain a balance in order to ensure that the activities and contracts which are accepted can be executed at all times with the requisite level of competence, both qualitatively and quantitatively.

The research to be conducted by the JRC falls into two categories:

- institutional research activities,

- institutional activities for the scientific and technical support of Community policies.

A. INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

These research, training and demonstration activities for which the JRC has capabilities and installations which are special, if not unique, in the Community contribute to the implementation of Community research policy.

- Safety of nuclear fission

The objective is to increase scientific and technical knowledge and to contribute to the development of technologies aimed at improving the safety of the whole of the nuclear cycle and reducing the environmental impact of the use of nuclear energy, and to respond to the need to assume the responsibilities of the Community arising from implementation of the Treaty.

The JRC contribution will be in the following fields:

- reactor safety,

- fuel cycle safety

- safeguards and fissile materials management.

Reactor safety

JRC research will be focused mainly on the following areas:

- a contribution to accident prevention: the development of non-destructive analytical techniques (NDA) for the improvement and refinement of inspection procedures and the development of qualification methodologies to facilitate their harmonization,

- probabilistic safety studies: the JRC will contribute to the improvement of methodologies and to the emergence of a consensus on their implementation in safety studies,

- studies conducted through European networks into the mechanisms of component ageing, a method of attenuation, evaluation of the integrity of structures and inspection possibilities,

- studies of serious accidents: these studies will be conducted, on the one hand, through studies of the internal and external phenomena in the containment in experiments with degradation of the reactor core using real materials and operating at a real temperature; these operations will be carried out on a small and a large scale at the JRC and, on the other hand, through a contribution to the study of the release of fission products and the transfer phenomena by participation in the interpretation of the results of experiments simulating accidental releases conducted in other laboratories, in particular the CEA (study of the source-term) and by carrying out aerosol resuspension tests at the JRC. They will be carried out in conjunction with the activities in this field foreseen under indirect actions.

This research will continue to be the subject of a major cooperation effort within the framework of the networks involving European and non-European partners. It is aimed in particular at the development of common design tools intended for industry and the authorities responsible for safeguards.

It will make extensive use of the JRC's ability to set up cooperation networks between the European partners concerned and thus to participate in the implementation of the Community policy provided for in the Treaty.

Fuel cycle safety

The main objective of the studies conducted by the JRC is to reduce the environmental impact of using nuclear energy by means of research into the fuel cycle permitting optimized management of the end of the cycle. They will be conducted in close cooperation with the activities in this field foreseen under indirect actions.

This research will be aimed at improving the understanding of actinides and the plutonium cycle and drawing up the best possible waste management strategy, in particular by minimizing the production of high-level waste. It will take account of the changes in reactor design.

It will be aimed at supporting the Member States' current strategy of deep burial of radioactive waste and exploring management strategies which would make it possible to reduce the amount of waste produced by future fuel-cycle installations. This research will be conducted in close cooperation with national laboratories.

The subjects covered will include:

- studies of the safety of the behaviour of nuclear fuels (UO2 and mixed oxide),

- study of fundamental and solid-state physico-chemical analyses of actinides,

- study of nuclear aerosols,

- minimization of secondary actinides and other radionucleides with long half-lives in the nuclear fuel cycle,

- plutonium fuel technology,

- characterization of spent fuel with a view to its elimination,

- radionucleides for medical applications.

Safeguards and fissile materials management

The research conducted at the JRC is aimed at obtaining, in good time, results or new techniques implementation of which is necessary for compliance with obligations arising from safeguards provided for in the Treaty and the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

It is necessary in particular to develop new techniques to meet the new challenges related to the development of the fuel cycle and the strengthening of the control systems.

These activities are aimed at the development and improvement of techniques including:

- non-destructive test techniques using gamma and neutron radiation for the analysis of waste, production waste and irradiated fuel,

- measurements relating to volume and weight in large tanks in fuel production and reprocessing plants,

- sealing techniques and new marking systems for objects containing nuclear materials and for containers,

- surveillance systems using the storage and processing of digital images for automatic surveillance and examination and for improvement of recordings in the long term without inspectors.

A particular effort will be devoted to research on the design of multisensoral integrated systems able to function in the absence of inspectors by using mobile robotic technology. These systems will use intelligent software for the production of data and the compatibility of materials.

These activities will be conducted in particular using the experimental installations Perla (Performance and training laboratory), Tame (Tank measurement) und Lasco (Surveillance and containment) of the JRC which offer experimental conditions which are representative of reality in an installation.

Lastly, the JRC research in the field of safeguards also forms part of a process of European cooperation as illustrated by the Esarda network (European safeguards research and development association) and international cooperation with the USA, Canada, Japan and Russia.

- Controlled nuclear fusion

This activity forms part of the Community fusion research programme. It is aimed at improving the pool of knowledge and the technology of the 'safety and environment` dimension of future machines intended for the European programme. The bulk of the work will be dedicated to support for the International thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) but may also involve any other fusion reactor.

For this purpose, the JRC has designed and constructed the European tritium handling laboratory (Ethel). The aim of this installation is the development of methods of handling tritium, but special attention will be paid to the verification and validation of methods of preventing and reducing tritium and activation product waste in the work area and the environment under both normal and accident conditions.

The laboratory is also able to offer research capability to any other European organization which is a member of the Community fusion programme or is associated with it.

Part of the activities will concern the development and characterization of materials to meet the following requirements: good compatibility with tritium, behaviour as effective barriers against infiltration of tritium with low induced radioactivity. The JRC, which has long experience in this field, will make a significant contribution within the framework of the ITER and for the longer term requirements of the fusion programme.

In addition to these activities, more general studies, including operational safety during maintenance, will be conducted by the JRC in line with specific demands relating to the ITER project or, more broadly, the fusion programme, in particular studies on low-activation materials and remote handling.

B. INSTITUTIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT ACTIVITIES

These activities are necessary for the formulation and implementation of Community policies and tasks assigned to the Commission under the Treaty.

The following description, which is based on current Community policy requirements, is given by way of guidance and may be modified in accordance with the relevant provisions of Article 7 (1).

Nuclear fission safety - reactor safety

The aim of this activity is to meet specific demands with regard to the promotion and harmonization of reactor safety criteria, and demands relating to Community activities concerning the safety of nuclear plants in the countries of central and eastern Europe and the Republics of the former USSR.

These demands in particular concern:

- serious accidents: safety requirements and evaluation, management strategy,

- probabilistic studies for safety evaluation,

- component ageing mechanisms and the development of a qualification methodology.

Safeguards

The objective is to provide scientific and technical support for the implementation of safeguards in accordance with the Euratom Treaty and similar support to the IAEA in the context of the implementation of the safeguard agreements between the Agency, the Community and the Member States and implementation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The fields covered by support for the Community include:

- the development and operation of on-site laboratories to carry out analyses in connection with checks in certain major fuel-cycle installations in the Member States (Commission communication to the Council and to Parliament of 24 March 1992),

- analyses of safeguards samples (European Commission's safeguards analytical measurements - Ecsam) as part of a network operated by the JRC,

- non-destructive tests, inspection of tanks, development and calibration of instrumentation and measurement systems,

- development of sealing technologies for fuels and containers and identification and surveillance techniques,

- development of integrated surveillance systems not needing the presence of inspectors and of computerized systems for nuclear materials compatibility and the management of data bases,

- analysis of nuclear materials being unlawfully transported in the Community and seized by the national authorities,

- training of Euratom inspectors in all of the above techniques and support in terms of health protection.

The support for the IAEA will in particular cover:

- analytical measurement and surveillance techniques for tanks, including the development and calibration of instrumentation for inspectors and the operation of an international network for the quality assurance of control measures,

- non-destructive techniques, including tests and calibration of methods and instrumentation and the development of the associated software to meet the requirements of the Agency inspectors,

- development of sealing techniques for the dry storage of irradiated fuel, its transportation and its storage in containers,

- development of surveillance techniques for the verification of information on the design of nuclear installations,

- development of integrated systems of measurement,

- study of new techniques to strengthen the international controls carried out by the Agency,

- training of inspectors and operators.

These support activities will make use of the specialized experimental installations available in several JRC establishments (Geel, Ispra and Karlsruhe).

ANNEX II

INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF THE AMOUNT

ENERGY (ECU million)

Nuclear fission safety 254 Controlled thermonuclear fusion 46 Total 300 (1) (2)

(1) This total includes an amount equivalent to 6 % which may be allocated to exploratory research.

(2) This total also includes the JRC's budget contribution necessary for its participation in shared cost actions.

ANNEX III

DETAILED RULES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAMME AND ACTIVITIES FOR DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION OF THE RESULTS

1. The Commission, assisted by the Board of Governors of the JRC, shall implement this programme on the basis of the scientific objectives and contents described in Annex I. The activities relating to this shall be conducted by the competent institutes of the Joint Research Centre (JRC).

2. The detailed rules for implementing this programme, as referred to in Article 6, comprise research and technological development projects, scientific and technological support needed for the preparation and implementation of Community policies and the tasks assigned to the Commission under the Treaty and requiring the impartial, independent assistance of the JRC, and accompanying measures.

3. The institutes of the JRC shall endeavour, wherever possible, to carry out research in cooperation, preferably on the basis of networks, with the national research bodies in the Member States. Particular attention shall be paid to cooperation with industry, especially with small and medium-sized enterprises. Research bodies established in third countries may also cooperate on projects in accordance with the relevant provisions.

Research projects as part of international cooperation under the conditions set out in the previous paragraph include cooperation with research laboratories and the exchange of scientists. Supplementary measures should allow for cooperation with research laboratories and institutes in the countries of central and eastern Europe.

4. The accompanying measures shall include:

- the organization of visits to JRC institutes of grantholders, visiting scientists and seconded experts,

- organization of the detachment of JRC scientists to national laboratories, industrial laboratories and universities,

- the organization of scientific seminars, workshops and colloquiums,

- specialized training activities, with the emphasis on multidisciplinarity,

- training in the field of safeguards and the management of fissile materials, in particular for nationals of the former USSR, subject to the allocation of short-term grants,

- an information exchange system,

- promotion of the exploitation of the research results,

- the independent scientific and strategic evaluation of the performance of the projects and programmes.